Just two days ago, we got a piece of sorely-needed good news: The Senate did not have the votes to pass their version of Obamacare repeal, and McConnell would delay the vote for at least another few weeks. Whew, another bullet dodged, and more time off the clock.
But this may not have happened had not all 48 senators who were Democrats or caucus with the Democrats stood firm in their No votes. Had we even lost one senator, let alone two or three, this bill would probably be a House vote away from the president’s desk, where it would almost certainly be signed into law. How did this happen? How did even the few remaining centrist Democrats, particularly Manchin and Heitkamp, stay firmly on board against this disaster? Perhaps their personal convictions led them to do it, but I can’t help but think that another factor was at work: Democratic leadership. One only wonders what kinds of conversations that Sens. Chuck Schumer and Dick Durbin, the minority leader and whip, respectively, had with everyone else in the caucus. Every potential No vote counted, and guess what, they got it.
I think small success stories such as these are important to keep in mind when we’re wondering whether party leadership gets anything done. It may not feel like it some days, but in this case, they certainly did. Oh yeah, the same can be said about Nanci Pelosi’s caucus pitching a shutout against the House version of the bill—an even taller order, perhaps, given that she has nearly 200 representatives to manage.
So, to Schumer and other Democratic leaders, on this one, well done. Now we gotta keep it going.